Modern Buddy

I decided to treat myself to a pre-work pizza slice and beer so I headed up the street to Felini's on Howell Mill, and after enjoying my lunch I decided to take Norhtside Drive instead of my usual route. Mainly because it's a little longer of a trip, and it's been absolutely perfect riding weather down here in Atlanta.

As I got near GA Tech I noticed a cop car, two fire trucks, and an ambulance blocking most of the lanes. My mind immediately thought that this had to be one hell of an accident, and as I got closer I could see that it was actually one motorcycle with a leaking gas tank. The rider was being loaded in, and was wearing shorts and t-shirt. His arms and legs were just beet red with road rash.

I felt horrible for a fellow rider being so banged up, but for me, it also reconfirmed why I wear the gear that I do.

ATGATT ...I"ve been riding 38 years, raced for 12 and NEVER had road rash...YAY for gear!.. I hope I never do!

That is terrible.....

Drive for the crash, not the ride rings true.

pcameronbrooks wrote: Drive for the crash, not the ride rings true.

If I were superstitious I'd worry that this were some kind of freudian fortune-telling and warn you to stay off the bike for a day or two pcam

A few days ago a fire truck and an ambulance blared down my street. Just as the doppler shift told me they'd passed my house, each turned off their siren. Uh-oh. At the intersection a few houses down, among the emergency vehicles, I saw a Honda Metro that had been parked on the sidewalk. I didn't get close enough to find out what had happened (I'm not a gawker) and it didn't look particularly bad (no bloody or prone figures visible), but it was a reminder that accidents do happen within a block of my house (just not to me in this case).

yep. people make fun of me for having a full face and a big bulky jacket and riding pants, but one day, when some car hits me, i will be the one laughing!! well maybe not cuz my buddy might be hurt....but i will be ok! hahahahah!!!

yeah that does suck for that poor guy in the crash. people need to realize just how much danger they are putting themselves in when they ride in shorts, a t shirt and a baseball cap. i see it all too often.

dshanson wrote:yep. people make fun of me for having a full face and a big bulky jacket and riding pants, but one day, when some car hits me, i will be the one laughing!! well maybe not cuz my buddy might be hurt....but i will be ok! hahahahah!!!

You may be overestimating the efficacy of armored gear!

The trope (which I first read here) I often use with people who don't get all the gear is this: "If you jumped out of a car doing 50mph, what would you want to be wearing?"
(Extended version, add: "Now imagine someone throwing you out the back of a truck doing 50mph with 300 pounds of hot, moving metal, plastic, rubber and combustibles underneath you. In traffic, which may or may not be able to stop.")
(Even more extended version, add: "Now imagine it's doing 60mph, 'cause this little scooter will do that.")
(Even more more extended version, add: "But your face will be pretty messed up if it hits asphalt at even 25mph.")
(Final addition, if the person's a real jerk: "So shut the hell up.")

The pavement doesn't really care what you're riding when you hit it.

ericalm wrote:

dshanson wrote:yep. people make fun of me for having a full face and a big bulky jacket and riding pants, but one day, when some car hits me, i will be the one laughing!! well maybe not cuz my buddy might be hurt....but i will be ok! hahahahah!!!

You may be overestimating the efficacy of armored gear!

The trope (which I first read here) I often use with people who don't get all the gear is this: "If you jumped out of a car doing 50mph, what would you want to be wearing?"
(Extended version, add: "Now imagine someone throwing you out the back of a truck doing 50mph with 300 pounds of hot, moving metal, plastic, rubber and combustibles underneath you. In traffic, which may or may not be able to stop.")
(Even more extended version, add: "Now imagine it's doing 60mph, 'cause this little scooter will do that.")
(Even more more extended version, add: "But your face will be pretty messed up if it hits asphalt at even 25mph.")
(Final addition, if the person's a real jerk: "So shut the hell up.")

The pavement doesn't really care what you're riding when you hit it.

Very true.

Speaking of jumping out of a car... has anyone ever tried an Airbag Jacket?

I looked at them briefly cause Progressive had a perkshare promo with http://www.safermoto.com/

~30 second clip of one of them; there's a ton of these videos on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX_YIr5CkDM


I don't know much about it, but the idea of an instant airbag rather than just armor appeals to me.

A friend of mine has the Hit Air jacket. Pretty interesting; it deploys when separated from the tether at over 25lbs. of pressure (or tension or whatever). The basic jacket looks pretty good (very sportbiker-y style) and he says it's pretty comfortable and not too heavy. He wore it on a week-long riding trip we did. Don't know how it does in hot weather, though.

Fortunately, I don't know anyone who's worn one and had it deploy.

ericalm wrote:A friend of mine has the Hit Air jacket. Pretty interesting
...
Fortunately, I don't know anyone who's worn one and had it deploy.

Looks like a great safety device ... but I'd be afraid that I'd forget to unhook the tether when I dismounted ... and go POOOFF! as I step away from the scoot.

Coffeejunkie wrote:.....and was wearing shorts and t-shirt.

That we me until about two weeks ago. I figured I have a family and way too much to lose, so if not for me then at least for them. i purchased a FF helmet, gloves, a riding jacket and I now leave the Crocs at home.

BlueMark wrote:

ericalm wrote:A friend of mine has the Hit Air jacket. Pretty interesting
...
Fortunately, I don't know anyone who's worn one and had it deploy.

Looks like a great safety device ... but I'd be afraid that I'd forget to unhook the tether when I dismounted ... and go POOOFF! as I step away from the scoot.

That's why it takes 25lbs. of pressure to set it off. No accidental deployments.

ericalm wrote: The pavement doesn't really care what you're riding when you hit it.

Exactly. I tell people "the ground isn't any softer when I ride my scooter" when they ask why I ride with a bulky jacket and FF helmet.

ericalm wrote:

BlueMark wrote:

ericalm wrote:A friend of mine has the Hit Air jacket. Pretty interesting
...
Fortunately, I don't know anyone who's worn one and had it deploy.

Looks like a great safety device ... but I'd be afraid that I'd forget to unhook the tether when I dismounted ... and go POOOFF! as I step away from the scoot.

That's why it takes 25lbs. of pressure to set it off. No accidental deployments.

That's what they say, but I remember watching a news video where some guy was touting this feature. Halfway through his sentence the jacket deployed.

Just found it... skip to about 1:25
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6aeSJGa-sCw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

jonlink wrote:

ericalm wrote:

BlueMark wrote: Looks like a great safety device ... but I'd be afraid that I'd forget to unhook the tether when I dismounted ... and go POOOFF! as I step away from the scoot.

That's why it takes 25lbs. of pressure to set it off. No accidental deployments.

That's what they say, but I remember watching a news video where some guy was touting this feature. Halfway through his sentence the jacket deployed.

Just found it... skip to about 1:25

Hilarious. It's a totally different brand of jacket, though. Same idea, looks much cheaper. I did a search for accidental inflation of the Hit Air and didn't find anything. Not to say it's never happened, though! I just have the impression it's a better made jacket.